Photographer: TAL | ArchDaily

Shanghai Guohua Finance Center / AI Planetworks Limited

Susanna Moreira — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Guohua Finance Center demonstrates how performance-driven design can generate a deeply contextual high-rise, transforming a dense commercial parcel in Shanghai's North Bund into a responsible urban neighbor.

Weiwu School / MENG YAN | URBANUS

Valeria Silva — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

"We approach the construction of the academies as an opportunity to reactivate community culture. The proposal seeks not only to mend the existing spatial fabric of the city but also trace and reveal the valuable cultural threads embedded in its surroundings. We hope to 'nourish' the future of the district, weaving a more generous urban space and a richer urban life through the architectural design of two new schools."Meng Yan.

Guangzhou Baiyun (Tangxi) Station East Plot – Twin Towers Interior / DuShe Architectural Design

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As one of the "largest railway transportation hubs in Asia," Guangzhou Baiyun Station relies on its supporting station complex to realize the "Station-City Integration" model. The interior design of the East Plot Twin Towers takes the architectural and facade logic as its starting point, continuing the morphological language of "High Mountains and Flowing Water." By extending the facade language to the interior scale, the design achieves systematic synergy between the architecture, facade, and interior spaces, facilitating the hub's overall evolution from a mere transportation facility into a vibrant urban public activity space. Standing atop the super TOD hub of Guangzhou Baiyun Station, the twin towers on the East Plot are positioned as headquarters office buildings for unicorn enterprises in the Greater Bay Area. Our vision is not merely to build an office tower above a transportation hub, but to deliver a groundbreaking reinvention of the traditional transit-oriented office model—transforming it from a mere transportation adjunct into a dynamic urban node. Drawing inspiration from the architectural facade language of "High Mountains and Flowing Water," the design allows natural forms and artistic conception to evolve and flourish within the interior spaces. This approach precisely addresses the deep-seated needs of emerging enterprises regarding spatial quality, talent attraction, and community connectivity. Ultimately, it creates a distinctive workplace that fosters connections with nature and culture, all within the context of an intensive and efficient transportation hub.

The Opened “White Box” Art Museum, OCAT-B10 / MENG YAN | URBANUS

Pilar Caballero — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The OCT Contemporary Art Terminal (referred to as OCAT) is a forerunner contemporary art institution in China. It was established in 2005 and has been committed to the exhibition and theoretical research of contemporary art. In 2003, Uranus transformed a furniture warehouse in the Eastern Industrial Zone of Shenzhen OCT into the OCT Contemporary Art Center, while initiating the overall planning and design for the transformation of the industrial zone into a creative cultural park (referred to as OCT Loft). The first OCAT was completed in 2005 and served as the starting point for the subsequent OCAT series throughout China. In 2022, the two-floor factory building B10, originally designed for disk production in the center of northern area of OCT Loft, was renovated into a new art museum-OCT Contemporary Art Terminal B10, known as OCAT-B10.

Weilong School / MENG YAN | URBANUS

Valeria Silva — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 21:00:00 +0000

Yueyang Hualinggang Pier Tourist Center / WANG HUI | URBANUS

Andreas Luco — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

At the end of 2018, the Yueyang Port Industrial Heritage Park officially opened, retaining elements from the industrial era such as gantry cranes, railways, tower cranes, and warehouse structures, while coexisting with both historical districts and the future city. The ecological park is located to the west of Dongting Lake and borders the Yueyang Tower Scenic Area, Bianhe Street, and Dongting South Road, forming the most important public space resource in the historical core of Yueyang. However, one shortcoming was its lack of service facilities in the waterfront area. Although this pitfall received many criticisms, any additional construction in this thoroughly de-industrialized area is impossible due to new zoning restrictions. However, the Tourism Development Conference brought a unique opportunity through special policies, offering a chance to enhance the Yueyang Port Industrial Heritage Park further.

Revitalization of The Relic Site of Yongle Palace / WANG HUI | URBANUS

Pilar Caballero — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Creating a Dual Spatial Configuration
Only a small part of the original temple site is legally buildable, while the rest are basic farmlands. Within these constraints, a dual spatial configuration is adopted to reflect both the heritage of Lv Ancestral Home and the historical temple site. The west side builds on the base of current ancestral shrine to create a renewed cultural field, while the east focuses on evoking the memory of the original Yongle Palace. Visitors come from the west to search for the east, retracing a path that begins from informal vitality and ends with a structured ritual experience, reviving the historical interplay between everyday life and official sanctity.

China Merchants Group History Museum & Weiboshan Park / MENG YAN | URBANUS

Valeria Silva — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 02:00:00 +0000

At the end of the 1970s, China shifted its focus to economic development, with Shenzhen becoming the first Special Economic Zone. The China Merchants Group from Hong Kong took the lead in establishing Shekou Industrial Zone in Shenzhen. They blasted the hilly terrain, reclaimed the sea to build ports, and attracted foreign investment, making it a pioneer in China's Reform and Opening-up. The successful operational mechanism of the industrial zone became known as the "Shekou Model", which set the stage for China's 40 years of economic takeoff. The China Merchants Group, founded in the late Qing Dynasty in 1872, went through the ups and downs of the Republic period and then the PRC, decided to build the China Merchants History Museum on top of the seaside hill of Weiboshan in Shekou to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

In-between Pavilion / TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

Andreas Luco — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 07:00:00 +0000

“In-between Pavilion” is TAO's second urban renewal project completed in Nantou Ancient Town, Shenzhen. It is also one of the exhibition galleries of the Diverse Homology Museum complex, narrating the mutual influence between political power and geography of the Pearl River Delta region, centered around Nantou. It was originally a place of high density with two adjacent residential buildings on the site, and public spaces were intensely compressed. Under the interaction of constant renewal, a symbiotic relationship between spaces of different natures and eras is formed. This state of natural symbiosis gives the project a unique aesthetics of chaos and vitality in the Nantou Ancient Town. The site is located on the north side of Nantou Ancient Town in Shenzhen, comprising three different property plots. The autonomous and spontaneous construction in the urban village has resulted in a confined spatial layout and visual occlusion. It will become an important node connecting surrounding public spaces as the site transforms from private residences to a public domain. This shift in identity will prompt the design to respond proactively.

Public Toilet in Shenzhen Bay Haifeng Sports Square / CCDI GROUP 21 Design Studio

Collin Chen — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0000

Project Overview - The circular city observation platform facing the sea is located in the coastal center of Nanshan District, Shenzhen. It is adjacent to the coastal activity lawn in the south, the public parking lot in the north, the intelligent fitness area for citizens in the east, and the landscape tree array and hard ground square in the west. It is set off in the coastal landscape belt of Shenzhen Bay Park about 13 kilometers long, with convenient transportation and a good coastal landscape. As a public building demolished and rebuilt at the original site, its basic functions include public toilets and shower rooms that are open to tourists in the park all day long. It is an improvement of public welfare design for the public toilets in Haifeng Sports Square of Shenzhen Bay Park and has served the surrounding citizens and visitors since May 1, 2023.

Kingway Brewery Renovation / MENG YAN | URBANUS

Collin Chen — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 20:00:00 +0000

URBANUS believes that the preservation and regeneration of a historical industrial site not only can restore a place but also a spirit. A city’s industrial heritage should not become merely another consumer product in the post-industrial age. Its rich memory and legacy should be rediscovered, highlighted, and amplified so that it will take on a new life with the production of new ideas and infinite new possibilities. Thus, URBANUS proposes the novel concept of “making on-site” in the renovation of the brewery, making it a showcase of the city’s unique spirit while preserving its original architectural aesthetics, collective memory, and intrinsic character of an era. - Yan Meng

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology / KPF

Collin Chen — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), along with many high-ranking government officials and representatives from KPF’s local offices, gathered to officially cut the ribbon on the University’s new campus in Nansha, Guangzhou (GZ). The innovative new campus combines the university’s programmatic aspirations to support the symbiotic growth of its academic and research programs with the site’s natural beauty and surrounding new innovation district, all the while supporting carbon neutrality readiness and zero water waste.

Huiyang Shatian Town No. 2 Primary School / MultiArch

Collin Chen — Sat, 12 Nov 2022 02:00:00 +0000

When we started to work on this project four years ago, there was a big controversy on whether the site was suitable for building a primary school. On one hand, the site was located on the edge of the plot for a large-scale cultural tourism real estate project; on the other hand, the height difference in the site was as large as 35 meters. Many people, especially those in the education department, thought the site was not suitable because of the inconvenience and safety risks of school attendance for schoolchildren aged 7-12. However, the existence of the mountain excited us. We believed it was an opportunity to design a unique school. The mountain is like a double-edged sword. Good design could absorb its negative effects and highlight its positive value. Therefore, our solution to the issue was all about “the mountain”. We hoped to build a mountain campus, which was promising, accessible, and convenient.